


Something Sacred

by writingsandramblings



Category: The Society (TV 2019)
Genre: Caretaking, F/F, canon-typical abuse, canon-typical mentions of physical violence, i love these gfs ok, mentions of campbell/elle, slow burn i think???, sweet gfs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-05-19 05:21:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19350319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writingsandramblings/pseuds/writingsandramblings
Summary: Helena knows she's no superhero, no saint. But she also knows that Elle Tomkins needs saving. And she'll do anything she can to help her.





	1. chapter one

A knock came at the door, and Helena sighed heavily, taking a gulp from her coffee before heading towards the front of the house. She swung the door open, looking unimpressed, until her eyes landed on who was on the other side. Her heart skipped a beat.  
“Elle. Hey. What’s going on? You okay?” She asked, her face softening into a reassuring but concerned smile.  
“Can I stay here? Just for the night?” Elle asked, and her voice was shaky, just above a whisper.  
“Yeah, of course. Everything okay?”  
“Yeah, he’s just… I dunno, he’s pretty bad today. But he’s also drunk, so maybe he’ll forget I’m not there. I just… I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to be there tonight.” Elle muttered, her eyes cast down, avoiding Helena’s gaze.  
“Okay, yeah. C’mon in. You can stay here whenever you want, whenever you need to. You know that, right?”  
“Yeah. Thanks, Hel.”  
Helena stepped aside, letting Elle pass by her and into the house.  
“Oh… We should get you some ice for that. Looks like it might be broken.” Helena said softly, as her eyes caught onto Elle’s bruised and blackened wrist.  
“Oh, yeah. Hurts. I dunno.” She mumbled in response, sitting down at the kitchen counter.  
“I can get Kelly to come take a look at it tomorrow, maybe she’ll know. C’mere. It’ll swell less if we ice it now. When did that happen?” She asked, concern audible in her tone.  
“Last night. There was a council meeting, and I guess I said some things he didn’t like.”  
“You’ve left it like that for a day? God, Elle, you gotta treat this stuff. It gets worse the longer you leave it.” Helena huffed, shaking her head as she retrieved an ice pack from the freezer, passing it to her.  
“I’m sorry.” Elle replied, softly.  
“Don’t… You don’t have to be sorry. Just… You know you don’t have to stay with him, right?”  
“You don’t get it, Helena. It’s not that easy.” Elle said, and the harshness in her tone surprised even her.  
“I know I don’t. I just hate seeing him hurt you like this.”  
“It’s okay. It’s fine.”  
“It’s not. But I’ll drop it. You want something to eat? Luke left a shit ton of pizza pockets here when he left, and I have to admit, they’re pretty okay.” Helena replied, as she opened the fridge, reaching for the boxes he’d left behind.  
“Yeah. Thanks. Luke left? What happened?” Elle asked, frowning up at the taller girl.  
“He’s stupid, that’s what happened. He’s with Campbell and Lexie on all this stuff. Thinks Allie really stole the vote. I didn’t agree. We had, like, a three hour screaming match. Ended with me telling him to get out. And he just left, didn’t even fight me on it. Guess our relationship was a lot more juvenile than we both thought. Getting married would’ve been a horrible idea, anyways. I dunno. We should’ve thought it all through better.”  
“Oh, shit, I’m sorry. I know you were really happy with him. He, uh, he didn’t mention it, but he did seem sort of weird. Off, I guess.” Elle replied, trying to be as comforting as she could.  
“I thought I was, but now I’m not really so sure. I was pretty upset for the first couple of days after, but I dunno. I feel pretty over it? It’s weird. He’s probably over it, too, if he didn’t mention it. But whatever. Pizza pockets. Onto more important matters.” She interrupted herself, shaking her head as she popped the food into the microwave, before continuing.  
“What about you? How’s everything been lately, y’know, with the mayor-overthrowing-coup stuff?”  
“Bad. Everyone just listens to Campbell, no questions asked. He’s running everything. Not Harry. Definitely not Lexie. And everyone’s just letting him. And I just have to sit there and smile and act like I’m not completely terrified of just how fucked up this is all getting. They’re going to ruin this place, undo everything Allie and Cassandra did. We’re not going to be safe here anymore. Nobody is. Nobody except Campbell. And he knows it. That’s why he’s doing this. Because he’s obsessed with being in control.”  
“It’s gonna be okay, Elle.” Helena said, although she knew it probably wasn’t true.  
“Is it?” Elle asked, sighing as she slowly looked up to meet Helena’s eyes. Elle’s eyes were tired, looking frustrated and almost, sort of, hopeless.  
“Everybody says that. But I don’t think it’s true. I think he’s gonna keep doing whatever he wants, taking out as much collateral as he can along the way.”  
“Maybe he will. But all we can do is hope he won’t. And do everything we can to make sure he won’t.”  
“What can we do, Hel? He’s got the manpower, and most of this entire town behind him. He’s got Allie and Will locked up. We’re fucked.” Elle sighed, shaking her head.  
“I dunno, Elle. I guess I’m just gonna pray. A lot. And hope Harry comes to his senses sooner rather than later. He’s always been a pretty reasonable guy.” Helena offered.  
“Reasonable doesn’t counteract Campbell. He knows what he’s doing. He’s got everyone wrapped around his finger. Me included.”  
“But at least you know. And you’re doing what you can to get out of it. That’s different.”  
“I dunno. Not really. But thanks. I don’t have many people looking out for me right now. Means a lot that you are.”  
“Don’t mention it. Seriously.”  
Elle nodded, letting silence fill the room. It remained quiet for a few minutes, as Helena pulled the food out of the microwave, sliding half of them across the counter to Elle.  
The buzzing of Elle’s phone brought sound back to the room.  
Helena noticed her stiffen, but she didn’t reach for it, didn’t even look towards it.  
“If I don’t pick up I can pretend it’s not going to be bad tomorrow. I can pretend he doesn’t know.” She explained, refusing to meet Helena’s eyes.  
“You don’t have to go back. You can stay here.” She offered, but she already knew Elle’s answer. And she understood. Hiding from him would probably just make things worse for her.  
“I can’t. But thanks.” She replied, and Helena nodded, reaching for her hand and taking it in both of hers as she sat down next to her.  
“Well, just know you can always come back here. Door’s always open for you.” Helena said, giving her a gentle smile, as Elle nodded along.  
Her phone buzzed again.  
“Will you cover for me tomorrow? I told him I was gonna try to figure out some shit for the council. I didn’t tell him where I was going, but we can say we were, like… I don’t know. Talking about some new ideas, for something?”  
“Yeah, of course. I’ll try to come up with a good cover. Don’t even worry about it.” Helena promised.  
And then her phone buzzed, again.  
She finally reached for it, and quickly clicked the ringer off.  
“My phone died. You couldn’t find your charger.” Elle offered, and Helena quickly nodded.  
Silence fell between the two as Elle ate, Helena just watching her face. She saw the way Elle always tried to look small, to be small. She wondered if that came from Campbell, or if, maybe, she’d always been scared. Of what, she didn’t know.  
She quickly noticed the tears burning in the smaller girl’s eyes.  
“Hey, hey… You okay?”  
“Yeah, sorry, I just… It’s a lot to deal with, sometimes. It just sucks, always thinking about it. Always being scared.”  
“Well, you never have to be scared here. I promise. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.” Helena replied, her voice strong and sure as she took Elle’s hand gently in her own.  
Elle winced in pain, and Helena quickly retracted her grip.  
“Sorry. Shit, sorry, forgot about the wrist.”  
Elle muttered a quiet, “S’okay”, her other hand coming to rub at her bruised wrist.  
“Anything else I should know about? He hurt you anywhere else?”  
“My ribs are pretty beat up. Not broken, I don’t think. Just bruised, or whatever. My thighs are cut up, too. He, uh… He threw a bottle at me the other day. It took me like an hour to get all the glass out.” She said softly, almost sounding unsure.  
“Oh, Elle…” Helena replied, being careful, this time, to take the uninjured hand. She ran her thumb softly over Elle’s palm, trying to be as gently with her as she could.  
“I’m so sorry, sweetie. I’m so sorry.”  
Elle said nothing, just shook her head. Tears continued to slip down her cheeks, and Helena gently wiped them away with the pad of her thumb.  
“I’ve got a first aid kit in the bathroom. We can get you cleaned up, okay?” She asked, and once Elle nodded, she got up to retrieve it.  
She quickly returned, leading Elle to the couch, grabbing another icepack, gently pressing it against her side. Elle placed her hand over Helena’s, holding it in place for her.  
Helena ignored the butterflies fluttering in her chest. She was just stressed, just worried for her. Of course that was it.  
“I, uh… Not to be weird, but you’re gonna have to, um…”  
“Take off my pants?” Elle asked, and Helena was glad to see a small smile appearing on her face.  
“Yeah. That okay?” She asked, and felt her cheeks burn, as she avoided Elle’s eyes.  
“Yeah, of course.” Elle replied softly, shimmying out of her jeans, Helena trying her best not to stare at the black lace of her underwear.  
It wasn’t hard to have her attention drawn elsewhere.  
Her thighs were scattered with dark red cuts, angry-looking and fresh. Her hips were bruised, too. She swore she could see his handprints on her skin. She could definitely see the places his fingers had pressed harshly into her skin. Dark, bruised spots snuck under the waistband of her underwear, covering her hips.  
“Elle-” She started, but Elle quickly spoke up, trying to excuse it.  
“It’s okay.”  
“No, no, it’s not.”  
“He’s just handsy, that’s all. Rough. Kinky. Whatever.”  
“Someone who cares about you shouldn’t treat you like this. They should listen to you, Elle. They should care what you want. He doesn’t.”  
“I know.” Elle replied, her voice barely a whisper.  
“You deserve so much more than him. I hope you know that.”  
Helena felt tears burn hot in her eyes, and quickly tried to blink them back. She grabbed for the first aid box, gently swiping the polysporin over the red marks, trying to be as gentle as she could after noticing Elle’s flinches.  
The two were silent until Helena finished bandaging her cuts, and Elle had tugged on the pair of sweatpants Helena had brought down for her.  
“Thank you, Helena. For everything. Really.”  
“Don’t. You never have to thank me for this. I’m just giving you what you deserve.” Helena replied, and Elle smiled, softly.  
“Let’s get you to bed, okay? You can use my parents’ room. I don’t want you to have to sleep on the floor again.” Helena offered, giving Elle her hand and pulling her up to her feet, gently. She led her upstairs, stopping in front of the closed door of the bedroom.  
Before Helena could speak up and say goodnight, Elle had thrown her arms around the darker haired girl, her face pressed into her shoulder. Helena wrapped her arms back around her, squeezing her tightly.  
She didn’t say anything, and neither did Helena. Neither had to. They both knew what the other meant.  
“G’night, Hel.” She said softly, pulling back, but taking Helena’s hand, squeezing it tightly.  
“Night.” Helena replied, offering the other girl a soft smile, watching as Elle slipped into the room, gently shutting the door behind her.  
She knew this didn’t fix everything. She knew she was still going back to that house, back to Campbell, tomorrow morning. She knew she was still going to get hurt.  
But, for now, this was all she could do. Make it better, one step at a time.  
It was progress.  
And she wasn’t going to give up.


	2. chapter two

Helena spent hours lying awake that night. Elle was in the next room, and she couldn’t keep her mind off of her.  
She wasn’t sure when she’d started to develop feelings for Elle. She just knew that she had. Elle was stronger than anyone she knew, than anyone she’d ever met. She knew Elle didn’t see that in herself. But Helena saw it. She was strong, and beautiful, and brave, and perfect. And watching her with Campbell - watching Campbell hurt her, over and over again - made Helena feel as if she might die.  
She’d do anything to help her. To just take away some of the pain that was always behind her eyes.  
It was ten a.m. before Elle silently made her way downstairs, slipping into the kitchen, smiling softly up at Helena.  
“Morning, sleeping beauty.” Helena said, sliding a cup of coffee across the counter to her.  
“Hey, thanks for letting me sleep in. I haven’t been able to in forever.” She replied, taking the mug in her hands and taking a tentative sip.  
“No problem. You sleep okay?”  
“Compared to how I sleep lately, that’s an understatement. I swear I haven’t slept a full night in weeks.”  
“I don’t blame you.” Helena sighed, shaking her head.  
“It’s like sleeping next to a fucking ticking time bomb.” She said, her voice just above a whisper, and Helena could hear the fear behind her words.  
“You know you can come here whenever you need to. Whenever you want. The door’s always open, and I swear, I’ll always keep you safe from him. Always.” Helena promised, looking directly into her eyes.  
“Thanks.” Elle replied, quickly swiping at the tears sneaking from her eyes, before continuing.  
“I would stay if I could. You know that. I just can’t. I have to go back.”  
“I know.”  
“I should probably head back, like, soon. Like, now-ish. It’ll make him less angry.”  
“Okay. I can walk you back.”  
“Oh… No, you don’t have to do that.” Elle muttered, shaking her head as she dropped her eyes to the countertop before her.  
“No, it’s okay. I want to. I’ll, like, drop you at the end of the street, if you want, so he won’t see me.” Helena quickly rebutted, and Elle’s demeanor quickly changed, nodding along.  
“Okay. Yeah, okay, that’s okay. Thanks.”  
Helena shrugged, grabbing a sweater from the closet in the hall and tossing it to the smaller girl.  
“I’m not letting you freeze to death on the walk over. Not on my watch.”  
“Wow. My hero.” Elle joked, and Helena rolled her eyes, as Elle finished off the coffee and followed her out the front door.  
“I wish we’d been closer, before all this shit, y’know? Would’ve been nice, to be friends, back home.” Elle said, and Helena nodded along, trying to hide the blush creeping up onto her cheeks.  
“Yeah. I feel like we would’ve been, if I hadn’t been such an asshole. Sorry about that, again. Thot? Like, really, who the hell actually says that?” Helena replied, laughing.  
“Oh, c’mon. I don’t blame you. I was a total bitch, too.”  
“Being closed off, or quiet, or whatever, doesn’t make you a bitch. Talking shit about someone you’ve never even met does.”  
“S’fine, Hel. I’ve been through a lot worse.”  
“Yeah, I’ll give you that.” Helena replied, as Elle half-laughed in response.  
“All I can think about, ever, is how fucking terrified I am. Like, even if we get out of here, I think I’m always gonna be scared. He’s always going to be out there, and I’m always going to be scared. And, like, I dunno. I just wish I wasn’t.” Elle muttered, rubbing her hands up and down her arms. Whether from the cold, or from being anxious, she wasn’t sure.  
“Yeah… I think, maybe, one day, it won’t be so hard. One day, maybe this will all feel so far away, right? Like, it won’t be so bad. I know it’s hard to imagine that, but I know it will be.” Helena said, trying her best to reassure.  
“Yeah, maybe. Thanks.”  
“I think you’re worth a lot more than you think you are, Elle. Like, you’re such a good person. I wish you knew that.” Helena said softly, stopping in her tracks, grabbing Elle by the elbow and turning her to face her.  
“Helena-” She started, her eyes cast down to the ground.  
“No. Really, you are.”  
“Stop. You don’t have to say stuff like that, just ‘cause you feel bad for me.”  
“It’s not because I feel bad for you, Elle. It’s because I know you don’t get it. And someone needs to tell you. You’re a good person. You shouldn’t believe the shit he says. It’s not true. He just wants to hurt you. He says things that aren’t true, just to hurt you. You really can’t believe him, Elle. Promise me you’ll try harder to remember that.” She said, squeezing her hands tightly, looking right into her eyes. Elle looked up to meet hers, and the look on her face was almost unreadable.  
“Thank you.” She replied, her voice just barely a whisper.  
“You’re a good person, Elle. Really.”  
“And so are you. So there.”  
“Hey, I’ll take it.”  
“Okay. Uh, I guess, we should probably split up here. His place is just up there. Thanks, again.”  
“Don’t mention it. You’ll call me if you need anything, right? Promise?” Helena asked, feeling guilty, although she knew she’d done just about all she could.  
“Yeah. Promise.” Elle replied softly, before turning towards the house.  
Helena couldn’t help but notice how small she suddenly looked.  
\---  
As soon as she stepped inside, a voice sounded from across the kitchen.  
“Hey. Where the fuck were you?”  
Elle felt her body tense up at his tone. He was angry. She knew he would be, but it was always worse, when it came to be.  
“I went to Helena’s last night. We were trying to come up with ideas, for you, for the meetings, and stuff. We didn’t realize how late it was, so I stayed over.” She replied, quickly, cringing at how rehearsed it sounded, even to her own ears.  
“Yeah? What were the ideas?” He asked, as he walked towards her. His voice was combative, like he wanted to start a fight, to find an excuse to get angry with her.  
“Uh... We, um-” She started, stuttering, before he quickly interjected, as his hand shot out, quickly tightening around her wrist.  
“Right. So you’re fucking lying. So what were you really doing? And is that her fuckin’ sweater?” He demanded, and Elle’s eyes widened, looking up into his, panic already setting in.  
“No- nothing. We weren’t doing anything, Campbell. I swear.”  
His hand cracked, hard, against her cheek as soon as the words were out of her mouth. Her eyes stung, and her cheek burnt. And she swore he was smiling, or at least smirking.  
“You really expect me to believe that? What, are you hiding from me, or something?” He continued, as if nothing had happened, and his grip moved from her wrist up to her elbow, his thumb pressing in harshly on the C-shaped scar still clearly visible on her skin, smirking when she winced in pain.  
“Wh-no! No, why would I… Why would I hide from you? I wouldn’t do that. Campbell, I wouldn’t.” She rushed out, shaking her head quickly, almost frantically, and he cocked his head to the side, mockingly.  
“I don’t know why you’d want to hide from me. I just know that you are. And I know that you’re lying to me, too.” He hissed, and she quickly dropped her eyes to the ground.  
“I’m sorry.”  
“Fuckin’ should be.”  
Deafening silence fell between the two for a few moments, before Campbell crossed his arms, smirking, and spoke up.  
“I’ll let you make it up to me. I know you don’t want me to stay pissed at you.”  
A sinking feeling fell in her chest.  
She almost felt nauseous.  
Swallowing any last semblance of pride she had left, she nodded.  
“Mhm. Yeah. Yeah, of course.” She replied, the smile feeling so forced she was almost sure he could tell.  
His hands came up to cup her cheeks, pulling her face towards his, his lips hungrily taking hers.  
“You’re fuckin’ lucky to have me. Y’know that, right? Looking out for you. Keeping you safe.” He muttered, their lips just barely apart.  
“I know.” She replied, barely a whisper.  
“That’s it?” He asked, raising an eyebrow, almost challenging her.  
“Thank you.” She replied, as his eyes bored, hard, into hers.  
He nodded, a smirk that looked all too much like a snarl on his face.  
“Right. Let’s get you upstairs, into bed, huh?” He said, an arm making its way around her waist, as she tried her best not to flinch at the contact with her bruised skin.  
“Yeah. Sounds perfect.” She muttered, forcing a smile, once again, the words tasting bitter on her tongue.  
\---  
An hour later, and Campbell was dead asleep, while Elle was far from it. She felt too exposed, lying there next to him. She was naked, her clothes thrown, by Campbell, onto the chair across the room. She shivered, trying to pull the blankets up around her, though he had most of them wrapped closely around his body. He looked almost peaceful like this. Like someone who could be harmless, if you didn’t know what he was capable of. But Elle knew.  
She wanted to get up, to get dressed, to just find some way to feel less bare. But, she didn’t want to wake him up.  
He’d been rough.  
She didn’t want him to wake up and go for round two.  
She rolled over, hissing softly in pain as she did. Laying on her back, her eyes focused on the ceiling above, as she tried to block out the sound of his snoring next to her.  
A sob broke from her chest, and quickly she shot her hands to her mouth, trying to mask the sound. She couldn’t let him see her like this. She couldn’t let him see her weak.  
And so, there she laid. Crying, hurting, scared. Lying next to the very person who was responsible for it all.


End file.
